And why, dear Savior, tell me why

And why, dear Savior, tell me why

Author: J. Hart (1759)
Published in 9 hymnals

Representative Text

1 And why, dear Saviour, tell me why,
Thou thus would’st suffer, bleed and die;
What mighty motive could thee move?
The motive’s plain; ’twas all for love.

2 For love of whom? Of sinners base,
A hardened herd, a rebel race;
That mocked and trampled on thy blood,
And wantoned with the wounds of God.

3 [When rocks and mountains rent with dread;
And gaping graves gave up their dead;
When the fair sun withdrew his light,
And hid his head, to shun the sight;

4 Then stood the wretch of human race,
And raised his head and showed his face,
Gazed unconcerned when nature failed,
And scoffed, and sneered, and cursed, and railed.]

5 Harder than rocks and mountains are,
More dull than dirt and earth by far,
Man viewed unmoved thy blood’s rich stream,
Nor ever dreamed it flowed for him.

6 [Such was the race of sinful men,
That gained that great salvation then;
Such, and such only, still we see;
Such they were all; and such are we.

7 The Jews with thorns his temples crowned,
And lashed him when his hands were bound;
But thorns, and knotted whips, and bands
By us were furnished to their hands.

8 They nailed him to the accursèd tree;
(They did, my brethren; so did we);
The soldier pierced his side, ’tis true,
But we have pierced him through and through.]

9 O love of unexampled kind!
That leaves all thought so far behind;
Where length, and breadth, and depth, and height
Are lost to my astonished sight.

10 For love of me, the Son of God
Drained every drop of vital blood.
Long time I after idols ran;
But now my God’s a martyred Man.

Source: A Selection of Hymns for Public Worship. In four parts (10th ed.) (Gadsby's Hymns) #153b

Author: J. Hart

Hart, Joseph, was born in London in 1712. His early life is involved in obscurity. His education was fairly good; and from the testimony of his brother-in-law, and successor in the ministry in Jewin Street, the Rev. John Hughes, "his civil calling was" for some time "that of a teacher of the learned languages." His early life, according to his own Experience which he prefaced to his Hymns, was a curious mixture of loose conduct, serious conviction of sin, and endeavours after amendment of life, and not until Whitsuntide, 1757, did he realize a permanent change, which was brought about mainly through his attending divine service at the Moravian Chapel, in Fetter Lane, London, and hearing a sermon on Rev. iii. 10. During the next two years ma… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: And why, dear Savior, tell me why
Author: J. Hart (1759)
Meter: 8.8.8.8
Source: Part 2 of "Come all ye chosen saints of God" from J. Hart's Hymns, etc: composed on various subjects
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Notes

This is Part 2 (stanzas 15-24) of Joseph Hart's hymn, Come all ye chosen saints of God, which see for words.

Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 9 of 9)
Page Scan

A Collection of Spiritual Hymns #127

Text

A Selection of Hymns for Public Worship. In four parts (10th ed.) (Gadsby's Hymns) #153b

Page Scan

Christian's Duty, exhibited in a series of hymns #10

Old School Sonnets, or a Selection of Choice Hymns #d24

Text

Selection of Hymns, for Public Worship designed to be used with Watts' #153b

Page Scan

The Baptist Hymn Book #416

Page Scan

The Christian's Duty #X

TextPage Scan

The Christians Duty, exhibited, in a series of Hymns #X

Page Scan

The Latest Collection of Original and Select Hymns and Spiritual Songs #199

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